


By Your Side

by lannisterslioness



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Late Night Conversations, Nightmares, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 19:20:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13577277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannisterslioness/pseuds/lannisterslioness
Summary: Nightmares of Kylo Ren still haunt Poe while he sleeps, but he's not the only one on the base who understands painful nightmares. He and Rey begin to bond while up in the middle of the night thanks to their nightmares, and the two find it more than helpful to share a bed - as friends of course. But the closer they grow to one another, the more their feelings begin to change as the two start to fall in love...





	By Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: It's been about two weeks since I've written anything and I'm so glad to be getting back into it! I missed these little baby pilots while I was off on my birthday vacation. This was supposed to be a one-shot but it kind of evolved a little bit and I wanted to turn it into a falling in love kind of fic. This fic was also inspired by the prompt idensversios !

    No matter how many times Poe went through this nightmare, it never changed. He still felt the searing pain that haunted him now months later, the involuntary feeling of someone ripping your mind apart, searching for what you were trying to hide. His muscles still ached when he woke with a start, covered in sweat and gasping for air that he felt had been crushed out of his lungs. He was safe, as he always was when he woke from these nightmares, still in his bed in his new quarters on the Resistances new base, the room completely dark save for the faint glow coming from BB-8’s charger in the corner where the little droid sat docked in sleep mode. Poe threw his legs off the side of the bed, sitting upright and refusing to turn the light on, knowing it would only stir his little droid companion.

 

    He was safe, the Resistance was safe - for now - and Kylo Ren couldn’t reach him or anyone on this base. Poe had to remind himself that he’d been through worse, he’d nearly died in fights up in his X-Wing, he’d been shot and lost so much blood he nearly passed out, he’d been through worse predicaments, but nothing haunted him more than the scars Kylo Ren left on his mind. All of the physical scars on his body couldn’t compare to the one searing one in his mind.

 

    He quietly got out of bed, grabbing his pants off the floor and pulling them on before grabbing a nearby shirt and his jacket and tugging his boots on quickly before he left the room. The base was quiet this time of night, only one or two people up on guard, making sure nothing could sneak up on the Resistance again after all they’d been through and all they had lost. Poe settled himself in the middle of the quiet meeting room, sitting down at the table and grabbing a nearby datapad. If he was going to be up for a while, he might as well be useful and help with doing some inventory, counting up all they had and what they needed. He was probably there for a good hour or so before he heard someone try to quietly walk up behind him.

 

    “I didn’t think I’d see you up.”

 

    Poe turned around to see Rey standing before him now, seemingly having just woken up herself as she stifled a yawn and stretched slightly.

 

    “I could say the same for you,” Poe replied, a slight smirk playing on his lips now.

 

    He’d only formally met Rey a few weeks ago, the two bonding and becoming closer ever since they settled into their new home. Poe understood why Finn had become such close friends with Rey, she was strong beyond a doubt, but she was also kind and had this fierceness about her that Poe found himself drawn to.

 

    “Bad dream,” Rey said, taking a seat beside him. “What about you?”

 

    “Same here,” Poe said, not wanting to go into detail, though Rey seemed to feel the same.

 

    “So what does someone who can’t sleep do around a quiet base?” Rey asked.

 

    “Well, I figured I would make myself useful, I’ve been doing inventory,” Poe sighed.

 

    “Need any help?” Rey asked.

 

    In all honesty, Poe was beginning to feel a bit tired again, though he was scared to go back to sleep - on the nights he had these nightmares they never went away and only came right back. It was beginning to be difficult to keep the numbers straight and a second pair of eyes couldn’t hurt.

 

    “If you feel up for it,” Poe said, moving the data pad over between the two of them.

 

    Rey leaned in close, listening to his every word on how to keep track of the inventory before she started helping him out. They were at it for hours until the sun was just barely starting to creep in through the few windows on the base.

 

    “Rey, I think -”

 

    Poe stopped himself short when he noticed Rey fast asleep, leaning against him and her head rested on his shoulder. She looked so peaceful that he couldn’t help but smile, trying to stay still so he wouldn’t disturb her. As much as he would have liked to let her sleep, he knew he had to wake her so they could move with the base beginning to come back to life.

 

    “Rey,” Poe said, gently wrapping his arm around her and shaking her a bit.

 

    Her hazel eyes slowly opened, scanning her surroundings before nuzzling closer to Poe, groaning in protest and trying to shut her eyes again.

 

    “Rey, it's morning,” Poe laughed.

 

    “To people who actually slept this morning,” Rey grumbled.

 

    “Someone isn't a morning person,” Poe said.

 

    “Wake me up later,” Rey said, making herself even more comfortable.

 

    “How about I get you to bed at least? As much as I'd love to be your personal pillow, I think we'd get in the way out here,” Poe said.

 

    “Fine,” Rey said with a sigh, sitting upright again and stretching, “Lead the way, Commander.”

 

    “You can sleep in my bed, it's not far from here and someone might as well use it,” Poe said.

 

    “Are you sure? I can just sleep on the Falcon,” Rey said, her mood shifting to slightly nervous.

 

     “It's fine, I'll be out here anyway, you'll have the room to yourself and I'm sure Beebee-Ate won't mind having you as a roommate,” Poe offered up a slight smile to try and ease her nerves, sensing the tension radiating off of her.

 

     “Alright, but only because I'm exhausted,” Rey said, “and I've heard that the commanding officers got bigger beds.”

 

     “Not much bigger but a little bit,” Poe said.

 

     “I knew it,” Rey grinned.

 

    Whether it was a lack of sleep or Poe just genuinely enjoying Rey's company, it was easy to forget the nightmares that plagued him with her around.

  


* * *

 

  


    Being up at night with Poe had become a routine for Rey. Every night she woke up for the past week with the same nightmares that plagued her, though sometimes she could swear she felt Poe's nightmares bleeding into her own. But she'd wake up and find him around the base, either working on his X-Wing, doing inventory, or simply put on the tarmac stargazing, and they'd spend hours talking about anything that came to mind. She'd come to the decision that she liked Poe, he was funny and kind, but he also listened and remembered all she told him, which was more than anyone had ever done for her all her life.

 

    She'd also spent a few nights in his bed, accidentally of course. He'd send her to go to sleep in his room and when she'd wake up he'd be beside her, turned over on his side facing the wall and sound asleep, she didn't want to admit that she slept better when he did that. But tonight they were out by a river close to the base, covered by the dense trees and only starlight peeking through and reflecting off the river, Poe having a small fire going to keep them warm while they talked. He even offered up his jacket to keep her warm, the heavy leather keeping her from shivering and carrying the faint scent of engine oil that just reminded her of Poe.

 

    “When did you learn how to fly?” Rey asked curiously, her eyes locked on the stars above as she pulled the jacket closer to her lithe frame.

 

    “When I was six or seven, my mom taught me how,” Poe said, “she used to be a Rebel fighter pilot, she taught me in her A-Wing.”

 

    “I think I've scavenged a few of those back on Jakku, they're nice, not as mobile as the X-Wings, but pretty good,” Rey said.

 

    “My mom used to fly here around like an X-Wing,” Poe laughed.

 

    “She must be proud of you,” Rey said.

 

     She felt an ache in her chest that wasn't her own, she could feel it coming from Poe and wondered what she said wrong.

 

    “She would be in a way I think, her and my dad fought so I wouldn't have to, but if she were still around I think she'd be happy I was flying at least,” Poe said.

 

    “Oh,” Rey said, realizing what he was saying, “I'm sorry, I didn't know.”

 

    “It's alright, I didn't expect you to know she was dead,” Poe assured her, the warm feeling replacing the ache in her chest and putting Rey at ease.

 

    “What about your father?” Rey asked.

 

    “He's still around, he lives on Yavin 4 where I grew up, I don't get the chance to talk to him much with everyone going on but, he's okay,” Poe said.

 

    “What's Yavin 4 like?” Rey asked.

 

     She looked over and saw Poes eyes light up, the warm feeling growing and causing her to smile too.

 

    “It's beautiful, it's a dense planet just covered in trees and full of life. There are fruit trees just about everywhere too,” Poe said.

 

    “Sounds beautiful,” Rey said.

 

    “You should see the sunsets there too, they're unlike anything you've ever seen,” Poe said, “I'll have to take you there sometime if you want to see it that is.”

 

     “I'd love to,” Rey said.

 

    A comfortable silence fell between them, the crackling fire giving a faint background noise. She was just about to ask when he'd met BB-8 when Poe started talking first.

 

    “What are your nightmares about?” Poe asked, his gaze no longer on her and on his hands.

 

    “It depends,” Rey said, “it goes between three of them. Sometimes it's Kylo Ren torturing me or manipulating me like he did, other times it's Snoke torturing me, making me feel like my body was going to be ripped in half while all my bones break.”

 

    “I'm sorry you had to go through that,” Poe said, “I think I...I think I felt it when that happened.”

 

    “You felt it?” Rey asked curiously.

 

    “I remember being knocked out on a transport ship when we were headed to Crait, and this terrible pain jolted me awake. Finn told me about what happened to you and I think I felt it when that happened, I don't know how but I did,” Poe admitted.

 

    “I think I feel your nightmares so I suppose we're even,” Rey admitted, “it's like something is tearing your mind apart.”

 

    “Kylo Ren tortured me to find out where Beebee-Ate was,” Poe said, “do you feel what everyone feels?”

 

    “No, not really. Sometimes I can tell when Finn is really happy or afraid, the same with Leia or even Rose from time to time. I feel a lot more from you than anyone else and I'm not sure why,” Rey said, “like right now I can sense that your feeling a bit guilty for some reason.”

 

    “It's bad enough I have to live through my nightmares, I don't want you to deal with them too,” Poe said.

 

    “Poe, it's fine,” Rey said, moving over closer to him and taking hold of his hand.

 

    Physical contact still wasn't something she was entirely comfortable with, but spending time with the Resistance that seemed to be full of people who hugged, shook hands, or even just leaned against one another most of the time helped her get used to it. Poe's hands were rough and calloused from years of working on ships, but they were also shaking ever so slightly, the guilt building up even more in him.

 

    “It doesn't bother me, really,” Rey said, “besides, I've gotten used to it, especially when we sleep in the same room together, it's not as bad then.”

 

    “Rey -”

 

    “Don't worry about it,” Rey said, ending the discussion.

 

    “I guess we’ll just have to keep sharing the bed to get some sleep,” Poe said.

 

    “I can go back to my bunk, Poe,” Rey said, though part of her regretted offering, she'd gotten used to having Poe around in the short time they'd grown closer.

 

    “No, it's fine, besides I think having you around is helping my nightmares a bit, that's probably why they're less intense for you,” Poe said.

 

    “I think it's been helping with mine too,” Rey said.

 

    Her nightmares had been less painful in the past week since she'd begun sleeping in Poe's room, she wasn't sure if it was directly because of him or perhaps just feeling safe in his room. Either way, she didn't want to make them worse again, not when she was finally getting some sleep at least.

 

    Poe let out a yawn and Rey laughed, “It sounds like you're finally getting tired again.”

 

    “Just a little,” Poe admitted.

 

    “Let’s go get some sleep then, otherwise I'll fall asleep right out here by the fire,” Rey said.

 

    “Lead the way, Jedi Master,” Poe said with a grin.

 

    “I'm the furthest thing from a Jedi Master,” Rey laughed.

 

    “Not to me,” Poe said.

 

    Rey blushed at the comment, she knew it was stupid and silly and that Poe was more than likely deletions from a lack of sleep, but she let it affect her all the same and was thankful for the darkness around them. Why was Poe Dameron making her blush and why did being around him start to make her feel like she was completely safe? She wasn't sure, but all she knew was that she liked what he made her feel, even if it was all only temporary.


End file.
